You may remember that I posted a review on the ‘new kids on the training block’ back in January. In the cold of a winter where I was trying to pile on the miles to make me as fresh as a daisy in the Spring, 3LC was the answer! As 2012 has rumbled on I’ve found myself fitter and stronger, some of which I can definitely attributed to 3LC. Now the wonderful guys from the Isle of Man have realised I not only need to up my overall power using their ‘Time Trial’ workout but also stop being such a wimp going up hill and tackle their ‘Climbing’ workout. With #30daysofbiking now underway I thought it would be a great time to remind Team #LovingTheBike that you can still rack up your miles for the month on a turbo or the rollers.

Cadence, cadence, cadence

I was a bit sceptical at first as to how much I would get out of a session designed to improve my climbing when I was actually on rollers, in a bedroom, on a flat floor. Needless to say, the help that the 3LC DVD’s have given me over the winter and early spring has improved my riding and in particular my climbing. With the Road Race DVD session there is quite a bit of gear change as you go through different parts of the race from the Grand Départ to the climbs and then finally onto the building a sprint train. In the Climbing session you focus on cadence and staying in the saddle to get the most efficient power output your tiny legs can achieve. You may know that staying in the saddle when you climb is the most effective way of climbing in terms of power but have also experienced that feeling of slight relief when you stand up, partly rest those muscles and stamp on the pedals like a crazy person. Once you have the overall fitness, which this DVD can help you achieve, it feels so much more enjoyable to climb in the saddle whilst being able to regulate your cadence. It’s difficult to put into words (not because it’s emotional… I’m just not a very skillful writer!) how much these 3LC sessions have helped me but I do find myself thinking about my pedal stroke more when climbing and imagine being on the rollers with Peter Kennaugh Snr gently asking me to adjust my cadence in a way that you know he will mentally break you if you do not comply!

Bubs showing his race face

The Climbing session begins with a warm up and then on to a series of 3 climbs, starting with something gentle and long, then a little shorter, and finally on to a long steep climb with generous recovery periods in the between. This is essentially interval training without giving it that name, which is good as I think terms like that put people off sometime. One thing I’ve found using the whole range of 3LC DVD’s is that having the coach there on screen and the other riders, who end up feeling like your team mates who you don’t want to let down, makes you work a little harder than I do on other, more Suffering orientated training sessions. Because these sessions come from a racing background, even on the ‘recovery’ sections you are preparing for what is ahead. I’ve found this particularly beneficial when on the road now as recovery segments are about panning rather than reflecting on what has just happened. The recovery almost takes care of itself. There’s no point dwelling on what just happened and how much it hurt… look ahead, plan and think how you are going to achieve the next goal. Just having that little bit of race orientation from the coaches and pro’s on the 3LC DVD’s has made me a cleverer more intelligent rider

Stretching

The stretching sessions that come as part of the 3LC DVD’s are an excellent way to finish a session and I urge you to put aside that extra 10-15 minutes for after your training session. I’ve found myself bent double with muscle tightness in the past after not stretching properly after a spinning session. The stretching sessions are short enough to be done straight after without losing your focus but long enough to be beneficial and not just a DVD extra’s gimmick. I’ve even been known to do a few of the stretching sessions back to back on a rest day. Some of the riders that are in the training session will be doing the stretching session too and this adds to the feeling that you are watching pro’s in action in their daily routines and makes you feel like you can be part of that too. When using the 3LC DVD’s I’m constantly thinking ‘PRO’… this is how you improve, be professional in your approach to training and you are heading in the right direction.

3 Little Cons

The conversations betweent he riders and the coaches can get a little monotonous after watching the DVD’s a few times. This is a victim of its own success really as it’s this personal interaction which sets the sessions from others on the market. I’ve got to a point now that I can reenact parts of their conversations, but to me that’s like tan lines, it shows how hard I’ve been training. If it’s something that you think might be a problem, there is nothing wrong with turning down the sound and putting on some music. I’ve done it before and all of the instructions are on screen so you can still do a full session.

At the moment the 3LC sessions are only available on DVD which puts the cost of the product and shipping up compared to similar training products. This not only impacts on price but also useability as I’ve had to use software to rip it get it onto my Android phone for use in the gym. That being said… I have heard from a little Manx birdy that 3LC may be going digital in the near future which should improve the useability across different media platforms, so watch this space.

Er… I wrote that banteriffic section headline without thinking ahead and don’t have any more cons… which is a pro… I think!

Verdict

Overall I think I have used this Climbing DVD the most out of all of the titles so far and I can really see the difference. The format is the same as the other titles but the focus is different. Indoor training is hard for some to stomach for various reasons but this session makes you stronger and is enjoyable(?) at the same time. Even if you only like indoor training a tiny, weeny bit, surely those are two reasons good enough to give it a go!?

Chapeau 3LC

Stevie

As regular readers will know I am a big fan of The Sufferfest training videos. They’ve seen me through some dark, wet winters and this year in particular the indoor winter training I’ve been doing has meant I’ve hit January feeling stronger and fresher than ever. As someone who spends a lot of time off the bike trawling the internet for articles and new up and coming ideas I was really pleased to see the new face of indoor training… 3LC. They were kind enough to send me two of their training DVDs to test and I have been very pleased with what I’ve found!

3 Legs Cycling

Based in the Isle of Man, 3LC has cycling passion running through their veins as cycling has been so popular over the years on the small rock off the north-west coast of the UK mainland. The committment shown by local riders and coaches has paid off and many riders have gone on to compete on both World Tour and Pro Continental teams; with the most being Mark Cavendish. For a population as small as 80,000 the number of top flight riders the island has produced in incredible and shows the emphasis they put on quality training and dedication to the sport. There are currently 5 DVD’s in the range that are aimed at improving your peak fitness for all aspects of cycling whether it be sprinting, climbing, time trialling, criterium racing, sportives or triathlon racing and to make the training even more beneficial, 3LC.tv treat you to a great line up of Pro riders. Current World Road Race Champion Mark Cavendish and Peter Kennaugh of Team Sky are heavily featured in the series and their enthusiasm and energy is hugely compelling and the aim is that they will help you achieve your goals even quicker.

2 Legs Good, 3 Legs Better…

As already mentioned, there are currently 5 DVD’s in the range which ‘Sprinting’, ‘Road Race’, ‘Time Trial’, ‘Climbing’ and ‘Ladies Road Race’ and I have been lucky enough to test the ‘Road Race’ and ‘Sprinting’ sessions. I won’t list all of the different areas each DVD covers but click on the links above and you can see a detailed description of each DVD. What I was really pleased about was that the type of training done whilst watching the 3LC training DVD’s is very similar to what you experience and can achieve from other similar training aids. I don’t see this as a bad thing at all as it means the training I have been doing has been the type of thing that the Pro’s do and thus should be beneficial for me. What is different about the 3LC training DVD’s and what sets them apart from everyone else is the way they train you through interaction with Pro’s and coaches.

The 3LC training DVD’s are like a group spinning session with some of the worlds strongest and most inspirational riders as well as proven top-level coach, Peter Kennaugh Snr. Unlike other training DVD’s that use pounding soundtracks and beautiful vistas to keep you entertained and motivated, 3LC uses the personal touch of qualified coaches and the sight of top-level riders feeling the pain just as you do. There are some great moments of banter and chatting between the on-screen riders which is a nice way to pass the time. The DVD’s use the very useful measurement of ‘relative perceived exertion’ (RPE) and cadence to push you to your limits. This means that you won’t out-train the DVD and become too strong for the workouts… you just go up a gear or too and you are able to do the same workout but at a much harder level. This gives the DVD’s a great longevity and should keep you coming back to them year after year, however close to Mark Cavendish’s rainbow bands you get!

You also get a comprehensive warm down session with some stretching techniques which again tells me one thing… these training DVD’s are for WINNERS. These are not just for the recreational roller rider. If you want to be winning races and competing against your friends, you need to train the Manx way and follow the lead of the Isle of Man riders.

Watching these videos, for me, feels like a much more social way of training. Sometimes I do want to pull the blinds, pump up the stereo and push my body to its Suffering limit but when I know I need and want a session where I can push myself but also feel like I’m training and improving with others… 3LC is definitely the DVD I’ll be reaching for.

If you want to win… train with the best!

Stevie

Happy New Year to one and all. I’m sure you will have enjoyed the festive season wherever you have celebrated it and I hope you are looking forward to a great 2012. Whilst most blogs and websites have been writing reviews, roundups and summaries of 2011, I chose to stay away from this area for two main reasons. Firstly, there are many fine writers out there who are much more qualified than I am to write such an article. Being able to write a blog on a daily basis really gets into your blood and the mind which makes recalling information though memory and your own archives much easier. Secondly, if I write about stuff that’s already happened and is in the history books, other people can check the accuracy of my research and writing and find me out to be a lazy, fantastical nincompoop and condemn me to the non-non-fiction section of the interweb. Therefor the obvious solution is to write about stuff that has not happened yet and you can’t tell me I’m wrong… yet! Genius!

2012 The Year of The Dragon

In my extensive research (stop sniggering) for this article I found out that 2012 is the Chinese Year of The Dragon and amongst other wonderful attributes such as hard-wearing scaly skin and a warm disposition the dragon is described as having “enough courage to face challenges and easily finds weak points that stand on his way to success.” A nice way to be I think. Although Mrs D has just reminded me that China beats to their own ancient drum and we’ll have to wait until the end of January sometime for the dragon magic to kick in.

2012 is set to be a great year for all… I can feel it in my dragon juice. Below is a selection of things I’m looking forward to in the coming year ranging from events and races to blogs, sites and products.

London 2012 Olympics

Bit of an obvious one really but I thought I had better lead with it. In short this Olympic games is set to be the biggest, shiniest and boldest games in history and will be a true statement of British achievement and world status. The home nation of any major sporting occasion always makes a big song and dance and gets behind their sporting troops, whether it be a FIFA World Cup, Commonwealth Games or World Series (!?) but being in the midst of that fever feels brilliant and it will only get better as we move closer to the event itself. Cycling as a sport has more separate disciplines than any other in existence so is sure to be a majorly exciting part of the games and of course, for British hopes of lots of medal! [Ed: I have no basis for this statement and have done no research to confirm this but someone once told me in a pub. So there.] There will be many articles about London 2012 as the months tick by but if you have any doubt about how much of a show-stopping event we are going to put on, check out the video below of the ‘V for Vendetta’ style fireworks display over London. The fireworks from the Clock Tower of St Stephens (known to most as Big Ben… that is actual factual!) were amazing. It’s a long video of the whole display to music but it is impressive to the last bang. Set aside 11 minutes and 28 seconds in your day and check it out…

Union Cycliste Internationale

2011 has seen its share of scandals and ludicrously mishandled issues that landed with a thwack on the desk of Mr McQuaid but I can’t help felling a sense of loving familiarity with the silly old git. As much as I hate the UCI sitting there quietly, doing their silent little farts in the room of cycling (which absolutely stink by the way and I wish they would do it behind closed doors or not at all) I can’t help feeling like I want to give them a cuddle and tell them it will be alright in the end. Just like that slightly musty smelling relative who arrives around Christmas who you don’t really want to sit next to at the dinner table. You also don’t want them to pass on to the re-cycle centre in the sky. So I say, “Pat, keep rocking on and try to balls up less stuff than you did in 2011 and you’ll be on to a winner.” I think that is about as much as we can ask from them!

Racing

Personally I’m looking forward to doing some proper training and racing this year. I said it last year and never pulled my finger out and organised a licence. This year is going to be different damn it and I’m putting serious efforts into competing… not necessarily winning! On the professional race circuit there are a few races I’m looking forward to in particular. The Santos Tour Down Under is only 2 weeks away and sparks the arrival of the new season. It’s a crazy race with Aussies fresh from the National Champs toting for glory along side pros looking for any early season spurt. The Ronde Van Vlaanderen will be held without the Muur this year as the finish line will change from Meerbeke to Oudenaarde. For those unfamiliar with racing in Europe, Spring Classics or Flandrian bike history, for the riders not to be tackling the Kapelmuur (and the Bosberg incidentally) is like… well I couldn’t think of something similar but its bloody weird! hopefully the race itself won’t be tainted by what will surely be a relentless media commentary on how the race will be run without two of it’s most iconic climbs. My final race I’m really looking forward to (I’m just plain-looking forward to all of them) is the Tour de Suisse. Not one of the most obvious races on the calendar but golly is it exciting!? Riders that have been absent from the Giro or Critérium du Dauphiné (Dauphiné Libere if your old school) suddenly come storming out of the gate. It truly is an exciting race and I urge you to find a feed… probably from @ProCycling Live.

Crying in pain

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times (never understood that phrase!) I love The Sufferfest videos. They don’t pay me to say that I promise. I’m looking forward to see what other dastardly montages explode out of that hellish studio, 2012 looks big for pain. A relative new kid on the block in the realm of indoor training videos is 3LC.TV. An Isle of Man based outfit that utilises the close-knit professional cycling community including World Champion and Team Sky rider Mark Cavendish. Keep your eyes peeled for a review of 3LC.TV coming to LovingTheBike.com in the near future.

Cranklist

If you weren’t already aware, here at LovingTheBike.com we have The Cranklist which is a collection of bike related blogs across all disciplines from across the world. Check them out but I have some of my personal favourites which I urge you to check out to get the most out of your cycling bloggery in 2012. Big Ring Riding is a great collection of photos and funny comments showing the hard-arsed side of cycling. Only championing the hardest of hard men it has bite-size chunks of Chapeau. Not a lot needs to be said about Cycling Tips, one of the finest cycling blogs out there and the reason I began writing about bike racing. Wade Wallace is considered by many to be the king of cycling bloggery and the excellent articles as well as breathtaking photography from around the world’s greatest races are well worth checking out. As a regular reader, Cyclocosm feels like a UK political magazine called Private Eye (I’m sure there is an American equivalent but I’ve no idea what it is). It is a mix of satirical, funny and intelligent articles from a guy who really knows his stuff about bikes and especially racing. Finally, The Inner Ring is what I consider to be the finest blog about professional bike riding as it incorporates so many up to date issues, covered in-depth and with a real understanding of the subject. I urge you to check out these blogs and others on the Crank List. I know most of my particular selections are race orientated but that’s what I’m into… this is my list not yours!

Bring it on…

There it is. Lots of things I’m looking forward to in 2012. Not an exhaustive list by any means but it’s something to be going on with. Here at LovingTheBike.com and #bikeschool we are really looking forward to a great 2012 and will be looking to push the limits. Of course we always want your imput so do let us know.

Tell us what you are looking forward to in 2012 in the comments below. You never know, your wish may become our blog!

Keep The Rubber Side Down

Stevie